Carveco AI: How To Use The Image to Relief

Brad Castle

21 July 2025 08:18

Using AI to Generate Reliefs from Your Own Images

Introduction

In this tutorial, we’ll walk through how to use Carveco’s AI-powered Image to Relief feature to convert your own photos, illustrations, and textures into 3D reliefs using the Carveco suite of products. This is the companion to the text-to-relief tutorial, but this time we’ll focus on what happens when you upload your own images.

Uploading a Photo or an Image

To get started, go to Generate with AI and select Generate with Image. You’ll be prompted to drag and drop or browse for an image file. You can load either a JPEG or PNG file.

For more help, please refer to the article: Carveco Live Preview Support Article .

Once uploaded, click Generate Relief to create a 3D version. You’ll see a preview on the right-hand side, with several options for adjusting Depth, Detail, and the Zero Plane.

Controlling Depth, Detail & Zero Plane

Use the Depth slider to control the base thickness of your model. This allows you to adjust the Z-height of your model, and you can tailor this to suit you.
The Detail slider raises or lowers surface texture. Moving the slider below the zero marker creates a negative detail, making the texture appear recessed.
If the image has background noise or curvature caused by perspective, try raising the Zero Plane. This helps flatten areas outside the subject, though it may also clip parts of the model.

In some instances, we recommend importing the model and using vectors to zero out unwanted sections manually.

Saving and Opening Your Relief

It is important to save your AI Generated relief when formed. To do this, there are two options:

Saving into the Clipart Library

Saving your relief into the clipartlibrary gives you felxibilty in various ways:

It is easy to access and incorporate into future models and designs
It can be resized in a new model
It can be added and placed alongside other reliefs, for an interesting design, that is truly customised

Saving Your Relief As A Model

The second option, which can be used alongside as Saving as a Clipart, is to save the relief as a model which can be done once you select generate image. Once in the software, click on the save icon, to save your image as an .art file.

Opening Your File

Opeining your file depends on how it was saved. If you saved it as a clipart, then this image will be available in the clipart library. If you saved the model as an .art file, then you can open this by selecting 'Open' and then clicking on the file, in its saved location.

Refining Your Relief

Once your relief is placed, try additional adjustments:

Use Smooth Relief to even out rough surfaces
Use Fade Relief to blend or level surfaces (e.g., flatten a dog's snout)

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